New here ,
Diagnosed with Hashimoto last week TPO >1000 , TSH 5.85 my gp gave me 25mic of Levothyroxine , how long dose take to see any improvement? Fed up and unwell , had been treated for depression for the last six months till I insisted that there was something physically wrong with me
Hi - I'm not an expert but I think that's a low starting dose? I started on 50 mcg for six weeks, then had a blood test and was raised to 75mcg and had another blood test about two months later. It takes a while to feel better - for me it was a slow and gradual coming out of the clouds and now I feel really great. There is a lot to think about. I was also deficient in Vitamins D and B12 & folate and I noticed a huge improvement when I started to supplement them - almost as big a difference as starting the levothyroxine. Hypothyroidism causes malabsorbtion of vitamins and minerals so there are a lot of supplements to you need to take. Have a read through all of the old posts and you will slowly start to get the hang of it all!
I think you will start to feel a lot happier & less tired as soon as you are on the right dose for you.
Also with antibodies that high, I think it would really help you if you could manage to go gluten free.
But other members with more knowledge will be along shortly with better advice!
Thank you Bluemaxx
I am a nurse and reading a lot but unfortunately no information how long it takes to feel better , my gp had no clue about Hashimoto , I had to guide her , she is OK sending me to endo, I guess I am little naive or surprise to be in this predicament, had been fighting depression and weakness etc... Now at least I am aware of the problem , thank you for your post will ask gp to reconsider the dose
Annasien
Welcome hon, have Hashi's too. As you are just starting out on Levo, 25mcg is what I started out on 10yrs ago. You should have your bloods checked every 4-5 weeks to see what your levels are, then it's usually increased by 25mcg doses to get you where you need to be. Be patient as it can take months to get on the right dose but you should start to feel a little better soon.
Normally with Hashi's it is advised to go gluten free which help lower your high antibodies; mine were 4,000 in December eeeeeeeeeeeeek but have come down a little. I am currently working with a nutritionist who also has me dairy free with lots of supplements to try and lower my antibodies/inflammation.
Some people manage to get themselves into remission from Hashi's but it's pretty much here to stay I am afraid and it's something you have to learn to manage by lifestyle and mainly a good clean diet with lots of fruit and veg. Going gluten free was no hassle for me. I loved my bread but still have the gluten free stuff.
I have been very poorly since I had a Hashi flare up last autumn and still fighting my way back. Depression is unfortunately a symptom of the disease.
You will get lot's of advice from more experienced members than me as regards other tests to do and supplements to help you along
Thank you , you are all so kind here , I am going to be patient , I am gluten free don't eat any breads etc or dairy except hard cheese , that will have to go , over all eat very healthy , but got so low for the past few months thought was mental ...
At least I can say there is actually something wrong with me not my head , in a bit of shock but have to develop with it like all of you here thanks again Jefner
Hi, I was given only 25 mcg for 5 whole years! and that was after many years without any meds. Never told I was Hashi's until I found this fantastic forum last September. I realised that I was totally under medicated and it was making me more and more ill. You do need to get the amount increased as advised by others on here. 6-8 weeks is a good recommended time to leave it before next blood test. (Early morning , fasting and no meds for 24 hours before the test.) Start getting copies of your results..I was given that advice and it's so useful for future comparisons. I went Gluten free/ soy and dairy free and take Selenium as one of my supplements. My antibodies have started to come down. I had my Thyroxine increased to 50mcg at the same time. 3 months ago I increased them by just 12.5mcg and feel so much better. I will know what to do if I should feel that ill again now by another increase. I have been working on gut issues during this time and that has improved too. Awaiting Gall Bladder removal at present. So my main pain is from that. My B12 was way too low and Vitamin D was low. If you supplement Vit D3 ( avoid Adcal if your calcium levels are okay, because there is more calcium in that than Vit D), take Vitamin K2 MK-7 to get the calcium into your bones and not your blood stream. My GP prescribed me Adcal and I was unaware of the importance of the K2 so I went over range with calcium in the blood, that is lowering now thankfully. Believe me you can start to feel better with a few changes and with the help from the wonderful people on here.
Best Wishes for your recovery xxx
You poor thing! I'm sorry you feel so ill. Gluten free is the first change to make! It'll make a huge difference. Also you'll need a bunch of supplements to help your body restore itself.
My own experience of Levo is awful. It made my blood results look good, but I was left with deep depression, anxiety and a 'fibromyalgia' diagnosis and the brain fog remained.
I changed to T3 only treatment and my whole life changed. The depression and anxiety lifted and the 'fibromyalgia' suddenly disappeared along with the brain fog. I got my life back! I use Paul Robinsons protocol (Google for his blog). Worth a read up if things don't improve with Levo for you. I pay for my own T3, but it's inexpensive as I buy direct from Turkey.
I wish you well on your journey. Get some Solgar B complex 100's if you can. They really help. And also read The Root Cause to help your Hashis. It's an incredible book! Xx
Suggest you ask GP to check levels of vitamin d, b12, folate and ferratin. These all need to at good (not just average) levels for thyroid hormones (our own or replacement ones) to work in our cells.
Make sure you get the actual figures from tests (including ranges - figures in brackets). You are entitled to copies of your own results. Some surgeries make nominal charge for printing out. Alternatively you can now ask for online access to your own medical records. Though not all surgeries can do this yet, or may not have blood test results available yet online.
When you get results suggest you make a new post on here and members can offer advice on any vitamin supplements needed
If you can not get GP to do these tests, then like many of us, you can get them done privately
thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...
Blue Horizon - Thyroid plus eleven tests all these.
This is an easy to do fingerprick test you do at home, post back and they email results to you couple of days later.
Going gluten free, plus selenium supplements should help reduce antibodies
Book - the immune system recovery plan by Susan Blum is worth reading
Also thyroid pharmacist - Isabella Wentz website
I think its a bit like " how long is a piece of string" ! We are all different .My mega snores and sleep apnoea went very quick but it was a year before most symptoms had gone. Two years on still have cold feet.
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